Gun sight



33*233 OR 296079933 SR Aug. 26, 1952 c, McKAY 2,607,993

GUN SIGHT Filed Dec. 16, 1948 TTci'IY INVENTOR i ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 26 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. 1

The present invention deals broadly with sights and the mounting of same, and in its specific phases to a rear sight for shotguns.

Shotguns of the conventional single barrel, double barrel, and repeating types only have one sight and that is in the form of a bead on the upper portion of the muzzle end of the gun. A few rear sights for shotguns have been proposed but these have never gone into sufficient use for recognition because they have been unhandy and difficult to use satisfactorily with a shotgun. The requirements of shotgun sighting are entirely different from that of a rifle where deliberate careful aiming at a target is essential. With a shotgun the target, such as a bird or rabbit, is usually moving and will be quickly out of range if not shot at on the spur of the moment. To do this shooting effectively, the hunter must keep his cheek on the side of the gun stock, sight straight down the barrel, and shoot. A rear sight in the form of a ring would be too hard to line up in time with the bead on the muzzle of the gun, and a small V-notch such as is used on rifles would take still longer to line up. It was a recognition of these difficulties and shortcomings of the prior constructions, as well as a desire to obtain an efficient rear sight for quick and accurate shotgun shooting, which led to the conception and development of the present invention.

Accordingly among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a new type of sight particularly adapted for use as a rear sight on shotguns, although it is broadly usable where sighting is involved.

Another object is to provide an open top, substantially arcuate, form of shotgun rear sight.

Another object is to provide an open top, substantially arcuate, form of shotgun rear sight for ease of quick sighting, plus the use of a small bead in the bottom of the sight for increasing the accuracy of sighting before shooting.

Another object is to provide a shotgun rear sight which has substantially no slowing up effect on shooting and, if anything, speeds it up and makes possible the ready increasing of the accuracy of such shooting.

A further object is to provide a new type of rear sight for shotguns, which is readily adapted for use" as an attachment as well as for permanent factory mounting on a gun.

A further object is to provide a substantially arcuate upper face form of rear sight for a shotgun, where the projecting ears or points of the sight are pivoted for folding so as to not interfere with placing the gun in a conventional carrying case.

2 Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying out the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but several of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the annexed drawing:

Figure I shows a pump type repeater shotgun with one form of the rear sight of the present invention mounted on same.

Figure II shows an enlarged side view of the shotgun rear sight shown in Figure I.

Figure III shows an end view of the shotgun rear sight of Figure II.

Figure IV shows a modification of the Figure III construction with the sight anchorable direct to the shotgun by means of screws.

Figure V shows an end view of the sight of the present invention wherein same is anchored with screws direct to the breech of a double barreled shotgun.

Figure VI shows a side view of the shotgun sight of Figure V.

Figure VII shows an end view of the mounting of another form of the sight on the rib of a. shotgun.

Figure VIII shows a side view of the construction illustrated in Figure VII.

Figure IX shows an end view of a modification of the Figure VII construction with the projecting ears of the sight pivoted for folding.

Figure X shows a side view of the shotgun sight illustrated in Figure IX with the dotted lines showing the folded position of the projecting ears.

Referring more particularly to Figures I, II and III of the drawing it will be noted that the shotgun sight I has a body member 2 in the form of an upwardly opening substantially arcuate portion, which will be referred to broadly as a cradle. said cradle having ears 3 and 4, and a small head 5, which is preferably white, in the bottom of same. While this cradle may vary considerably"? in size and contour while maintaining the general substantially arcuate shallow shape shown, tests have indicated that when it is a little less than a semi-circle and of a /;--inch radius, this is ideal for most purposes. The body member of this sight is preferably shaped on its under face to fit the particular gun or other device on which it is to be mounted. With a pump gun as shown in Figure I, the under face of the body member will be rounded as shown in Figure III. A thin strip of metal, somewhat like a piece of clock spring, may be used as a sight mounting strap 6. This strap will be drilled and lightly countersunk at its ends as shown for the reception of screws 1 which threadedly engage suitably threaded openings in the side edges of body member 2 below ears 3 and 4. These screws are preferably of the semi-round head type having a conical underface so that when the screws are tightened into the countersunk holes of strap 6, the whole assembly will tighten onto the gun while there will be only a small rounded portion of the head of each of the screws projecting in the final assembled position, which thus makes a highly desirable smoothly finished assembly.

Instead of using an encircling type mounting construction for holding the sight, the gun can be drilled and threaded and the sight correspondingly drilled for the reception of screws 1 as shown in Figures IV, V and VI. This construction is particularly suited for use in the factory mounting of the present improved sight on guns, although obviously it is not limited to factory use since any gunsmith or trained mechanic can do likewise when he has one of these sights having an underface of the proper shape.

Many types of shotguns have a rib l0, sometimes called a ventilated rib, along the upper edge of the barrel, and many double barreled shotguns have such a rib between barrels with a bead sight on same at the muzzle end of the gun. With this type of gun the sight of the present invention can be formed as shown in Figures VII and VIII wherein the underface of the sight is provided with an undercut mounting groove 8. This sight is preferably drilled and threaded at one side of the groove for engagement with a small setscrew 9 adapted to be tightened against the rib in conventional manner. While the sight has been shown mounted on the gun at its breech, this is to be considered at being diagrammatic of the location of the sight which may be mounted in various upper positions at the breech of the gun, and even part way down the barrel from the breech end of the gun.

Many shotguns have cases which are of a moderately close fit to same, and in this situation to avoid the necessity of assembling and disassembling the gun sight to meet the limitations of the guncase size, this sight may be provided with pivoted ears. One such construction is shown in Figures IX and X although it certainly is not limited to use with a rib mounting construction sight. This form of the gun sight has the ears 3:: and 40, mounted on a pivot of conventional construction such as a through pin ll, although such pivot member may be in the form of screws which can be tightened or loosened to facilitate use of the sight and the folding of same. The drawing is therefore to be considered as diagrammatic of the various ways in which the pivoting can be accomplished. In order to provide a positive stop for the ears when in upright position, the pivoting can be offset a little, and a shoulder stop l2 provided, as shown in Figure X. This permits substantial lowering of the points of the ears when the gun is to be put into its case, and yet facilitates positive positioning of same for use during shooting.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of those explained, change being made as regards the apparatus herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A sighting device, comprising a shallow sighting body having an open top of substantially arcuate cradle shape which is less than semi-circular, said sighting body having an ear at each and of its open top, pivot means for each of said ears to facilitate lowering the height of said sighting body when said ears are folded, a separate stop means for each car when in upright position, a bead within said open top and on the surface thereof, said bead being substantially at the midpoint of the upper surface of said cradle between said ears, and means for fastening said body member in position for use.

2. A rear sight for a shotgun, which consists of a shallow sighting body having an upright substantially arcuate open top which is less than a semi-circle and of a radius approximating fiveeighths of an inch, said open top terminating in sidewise-projecting, rounded-end ears, a sighting bead substantially at the center of the bottom of the arcuate portion of said sighting body and on the surface of same, the bottom face of said body member being shaped to fit onto the breech end of said shotgun, and means for fastening said sight in place on said shotgun.

3. A rear sight for a shotgun, which consists of a shallow sighting body having an upright arcuate open top which is less than a semi-circle and of a radius approximating five-eighths of an inch, said open top terminating in sidewise-projecting, rounded-end ears, an offset pivot mounting means for each of said ears to facilitate lowering the height of said sighting body when said ears are folded, a stop means for each car at its upright position, a sighting bead substantially at the center of the bottom of the arcuate portion of said sighting body and on the surface of same, the bottom face of said sighting body being shaped to fit onto the breech of said shotgun, and means for fastening said sight in place on said shotgun.

GEORGE C. McKAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 453,828 Carver June 9, 1891 803,969 Bassell Nov. 7, 1905 805,770 Bassell Nov. 28, 1905 939,813 Downey Nov. 9, 1909 962,596 Sober June 28, 1910 1,174,063 Frank Mar. 7, 1916 1,292,211 Young Jan. 21, 1919 1,596,896 Seegee Aug. 24, 1926 1,618,225 Redfield Feb. 22, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 43,824 Germany 1888 61,446 Germany 1892 369,407 Italy 1939 

